I've been plant-based longer than I've been a minimalist and when I decided to live a life of less, my plant-based diet wasn't so much as a passing thought. After all, what could my diet have to do with my choice to buy less stuff and de-clutter?
Though as time has gone on, I've realized just how interconnected these two lifestyle designs are. It isn't just that both have brought me happiness and a sort of inner peace I was longing for. No, it's deeper than that.
It's like what Jenn said in her Herbie of the Week interview:
" As my body began to heal, other parts of my life {job, relationships, etc.} started to heal, also... For the first time in my life, my body and I are on the same page, working toward common goals. And as my body gets healthier, my overall life becomes healthier, too. That is something I never expected of plants. It’s pretty cool! "
I am always quick to tell people that making the choice to adopt a whole foods, plant-based diet has had extraordinary, far-reaching positive effects. Going plant-based is, without question, the most profound and life-altering decision I will ever make.
Yet it's often so hard for me to put it into words with examples. My life has improved in so many ways — well beyond the health aspect. I'm talking my TOTAL quality of life.
In hearing Jenn's story, I knew I wasn't alone with my experiences and then I met Marie. Her story is an inspiration and an amazing example of the power of making one positive change. Getting that ball rolling.
I'm pleased to introduce Marie, so she can share her journey to happiness, health and minimalism. It's all connected, see.
"Thank you for your simple, beautiful & informative website. I have never thought of myself as a cook and used to joke that I couldn't even make a piece of toast. And until a year ago, I ate the most nightmarish diet: junk food, fast food, processed food, sugar/salt/fat. I started dieting when I was 8 and in high school, a doctor put me on Atkins. I yo-yo'd hundreds of pounds on and off, developing an eating disorder. Then the week I turned 26, I was told I had type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure & high cholesterol. Something snapped and I thought, "no way, no f&%$ing way am I going to be another obese American who takes pills every day so I can keep eating Dunkin Donuts every day." I'd seen Forks Over Knives and immediately made the decision to go vegan.
UPDATE: "Thank you for posting my message on HH...I was stunned to see it when I was absentmindedly browsing blogs one early Monday at work! I also wanted to show you this most recent picture of me, 10 months vegan. The difference keeps me motivated when a budget (or even just cutting up vegetables) seems like too much %#$@ing work. It's an investment, and I'm lucky. "